Adulteration of food : a lecture / by C. Estcourt.

  • Estcourt, C.
Date:
[between 1870 and 1879?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Adulteration of food : a lecture / by C. Estcourt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    ADULTERATION OF FOOD. A LECTURE BY C. ESTCOURT, ESQ., F.C.S., Piibltc Analyst for the City of Manchester, and for the Boroughs of Oklhaiii and Macclesfield. In dealing with the question of adulteration it is necessary that we should have a clear idea of what, by law, adulteration may be defined to be. Adulteration, or breach of the Food and Drugs Act, then, is, first, the mixing, or colouring, or staining, or powdering any article of food, drink, or medicine with any ingredient which would render such food, &c., injurious to health. This would apply to products in whatever form they might exist. Next, the sale of an article of food or drug which is not of the nature, substance, or quality demanded by the purchaser. This would apply to all natural products, whether such are sold in their natural state or are only changed in form without requiring any sensible addition of extraneous matter—as flour into bread, coffee from the raw to the roasted state, milk, butter, cheese. Secondly, the sale of any compounded article of food, drink, or drugs which is not composed of ingredients in accordance with the demand of the purchaser. Under the head of compounded articles would be included all artificial effervescing drinks, gin, beer and porter, chocolate, butterine, and many others. None of these exist naturally, and all are made by the mixture of various substances in the process of manufacture. The last Aduheration Act, or, as it is called. Food and Drugs Act, is a great improvement upon its predecessor, but itself can scarcely be regarded as complete. The most important defect in the Act, if one were compelled to accept it as final, is that in no case does it set up a single standard to guide the analyst in aeciding upon the real extent of adulteration. The want of such a standard is nowhere so evident as in the case of milk, which is we know, both for the very old and the very young, the staff of iiie. 1 he present low standard adopted bv analysts is based upon